Yomiuri Aoniyoshi Prize Winners Announced

The winners of the 5^th Yomiuri Aoniyoshi Prize (sponsored by the Yomiuri Shimbun with special support from the Japan Society for the Conservation of Cultural Property), which publicly honors individuals and organizations for their outstanding achievements in the fields of conservation science and restoration, were announced. The Aoniyoshi Prize was awarded to OZAWA Masami, the solo inheritor engaged in the restoration of armor that are designated national cultural properties. The Encouragement Prize went to Ōyama Akihiko, Associate Professor at Nara University of Education, who has worked on recapturing color on drawings for various historical structures including the Kondō Hall at Toshōdaiji temple in Nara. The Special Prize was given to Nihon urushikaki gijutsu hozonkai, which works tirelessly in Ninohe City, Iwate Prefecture, to secure the domestically produced urushi lacquer essential for restoration of cultural properties and to pass on its collecting techniques to the next generation. (Japanese)